


This is me trying

by SarahBaggins



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Freeform, Magical Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahBaggins/pseuds/SarahBaggins
Summary: A snippet into Malfoy's and Granger's life before going back for the final year of Hogwarts. Their cores are bound, but have they realised it yet? Or are they going to ignore each other forever?Short, sweet and finished. I suck at writing summaries.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	This is me trying

Draco could not remember being in a bed worse than the one he found himself in right now. And it has been his bed for a few months now.

Ever since Narcissa's and his trial ended, they stayed at Grimmauld Place, with aunt Andromeda, Teddy, Saint Potter and Granger. Lucius was in prison, and Malfoy Manor was still under repairs from all the dark magic used in it. 

Narcissa and her sister spent nights talking and crying during the trials, mending the broken relationship best they could. It resulted in this weird situation of previous enemies sleeping under the same roof. 

Tonight was no different, except that it was worse. A Christmas dinner was served, and the living room was crawling with Griffindor alumni and soon to be eight-year students. Draco stayed the bare minimum his mother asked of him and retired as soon as the last plate was sent to the kitchen. He could hear the singing from the living room, his mother's voice included. 

A knock intruded on his active ignoring of the party he ran away from. Before he could answer, a mane of bushy hair appeared in the doorframe. 

"Malfoy, are you feeling ok?" the voice belonging to the curls asked. "We are going to open presents now."

She stayed a foot outside the room, as she always did when talking to him. He doubted anyone cared about his whereabouts, but Granger's bleeding heart always seemed to notice. It may as well be the hundredth time she stood there asking if he was ill, or otherwise unable to attend whatever activity he chose to ignore. 

"Leave me alone Granger" he growled from the bed, turning his back towards the door. "You can have my present for all I care." 

It took her a while to answer, but when she did "Don't mind if I do, Malfoy," he couldn't stop a shy smile forming on his lips. 

* * *

He woke to the sound of thunder crackling above his head. The thin roof above his head did little to keep the noise outside of the room. Draco saw the raindrops fall before the sound of rain started its melody. Another thunderbolt washed the room in light, and a discharge followed louder than the first one. Once the room was silent again, Draco noticed a slender frame leaning heavily on the closed door. Hermione Granger was in his room, dressed in what he guessed where her pyjamas, trembling heavily. 

"Granger," he asked, his voice crackling from the sleep. Was he dreaming? She didn't seem to react to his voice, just slid down to the floor. "Granger, do you know where you are?" He got halfway out the bed before she turned her head towards him, understanding dawning in her eyes. 

She frantically jumped up, turned around and grabbed for the knob to let herself out, but the door wouldn't budge. 

"It gets stuck sometimes if closed too hard," he explained slowly. His sleepy brain was gradually waking up, taking in the surroundings and the scared girl in front of him. Draco took a couple of steps towards Granger, his hands half-raised to prove he wished her no harm. She has never entered his room before, and given that it was the middle of the night, he wondered if she was sleepwalking. He read somewhere that waking up a sleeping person could be dangerous for them. 

Another lightning struck above, and he saw Granger's face distort in a silent scream. A part of him felt lucky that she hadn't screamed for real, he was in no mood to explain how a screaming Granger found herself in his bedroom. Another part of him clenched and wouldn't let go. For a single breath, Draco saw Hermione's body spread on the floor, his lunatic aunt carving letters into the girl's skin. They locked their eyes both in Draco's memory and reality, a silent plea on her lips now as then.

"Hermione," her name felt weird on his tongue as if he wasn't allowed to use it. "It is just the two of us here, you are safe." He heard the tremble in his voice, felt the tightness in his chest. It wasn't a lie, she was safe with him. He knew even before all the terrible events that he would never harm her, not intentionally. Yet it was one thing to believe it, and another to say it out loud. 

They were standing a foot apart now, their hard breaths hidden behind the sound of pouring rain. Draco couldn't remember the last time such a violent storm hit Britain. It was almost a surprise no one else was awake walking around the house. Or maybe they were, while he and Granger were locked in a world between past and present.

"Malfoy," she whispered, blinking away the nightmare she seemed caught in. "Where am I?" She was still holding the doorknob, but the shakes have become less visible, and her eyes seemed more focused on his face now. 

"You are in my room," he swallowed. "The door must have locked itself when you entered. I can fix it if you move away, there is a trick to it." He didn't mention that a simple spell would work better. Granger didn't look like she could handle a wand at the moment, and Draco's was still at the Ministry. 

She nodded and slid across the wall, her back protected by it, and allowed him to come closer to the door. Draco noticed how her eyes followed every move he made, but he tried not to focus on it. Instead, he applied slight pressure to the left side of the knob. A strong pull towards him and the door creaked open. He stepped back, allowing Granger plenty of space to manoeuvre herself out of his room any way she wished. She did so silently, looking directly at him until she was in the hallway. Then she turned around and ran down the stairs, back towards her room. 

* * *

The only thing anyone talked about the next day was the storm that hit London. It seemed that Draco indeed was lucky that no one saw Granger's escapade. By the dinner time, Saint Potter even mentioned coming to her door, "I know how afraid you are of the thunder ever since...", but she stopped him before he could share more. 

"Don't worry Harry, I am using earplugs of late, they work better than a spell since I can still hear if I am being called after. I guess I must have slept through it." Her eyes flicked to Malfoy's for a briefest second while she switched the topic of how Muggle appliances work like magic in some cases. 

Not long after, Draco excused himself from the dinner table. It was his strategy of late, to leave just before the group would move to the living room. He knew his mother was looking wearily at his back, as she always did, but he could swear that another pair of eyes followed him up the stairs. 

The same pair that was currently boring a hole in his face, after he opened the door to a series of almost silent knocks. Granger stood once again on his doorstep, looking like she was regretting it. 

"What do you want," he asked before catching himself. The open palm of his right hand flew to hide his face as he still held the door open by his left hand. The greeting was far from how he felt to see Granger again, and he could feel his core tighten from the choice of words he used. Ever since last night, his magic felt on edge, surging in most random manners. "Sorry," followed by, "do you want to come in?" were the next words to leave his mouth. 

She seemed surprised by either his apology or the invitation. Possibly both if he was honest with himself. Instead of an answer, she just brushed by him and moved to the middle of the small room. There she stood looking around like she has never before seen the insides of it. 

Never the one for unpleasant silences, if not controlled by him, Draco started to say "You don't owe me an explanation..." 

"Can you please close the door?" interrupted Granger.

He leaned back on the door, pushing it closed with his back. The irony of their new positions didn't go unnoticed. The situation was same, just with changed roles, Draco being the one out of place. Granger just stood there and looked at him with her big doe eyes and unruly hair. 

"I must have scared you last night, barging in as I did," she started, "I thought I should apologise."

"You are mental." Draco couldn't stop himself, weird magic cores or not. It seemed a theme when alone with Granger. His tongue said things his brain didn't approve of. "Why would you ever apologise to me Granger?"

"Because it's _the right thing_ to do, of course!"

"No, it isn't. The right thing to do would be Potter kicking my mother and me out of here and never wanting to see us again." 

Silence. Draco's fingers reached for the bridge of his nose, pressing slightly. He rendered the know-it-all silent. It was an achievement worthy of legends.

And then she moved. Instead of answering Draco, Granger gingerly moved towards him. With each step, she seemed more determined to do whatever she planned to. Once their shoes touched, Granger stopped and put her arms around his body, trapping his limbs underneath hers. She placed her head on Draco's chest, and her curls started to itch his nose. Granger squeezed. 

It took Draco a second to leap away from the awkward hug and hit his spine in the doorknob. Holding his back like an old man, tottering ungracefully, he circled around Granger and went to sit on his bed.

"What the... Merlin, are you trying to kill me, witch?"

"Of course not! Who do you take me for?" She screeched back at him. "I was just giving you a hug. You know, because you are an idiot who believes everyone hates him. It was the easiest way to show you that we don't." Her hands were all over the place, pointing high and low, finding their resting place on her hips.

"You think hugging me fixes anything?" Draco felt his chest tighten. How dared she to try and prove him wrong? He hated their pity, hers most of all. Acting like he could be forgiven for his sins, giving him false hope. Forgetting about the pain he was in, Draco jumped up and went straight to Granger, cornering her shorter body. The calculating bully who still resided inside him scanned the victim for the most effective way to scare her. A prudish bookworm like Granger, she might have defeated the Dark Lord, but he could bet she still only had kissed Krum. He towered above her, grey eyes full of anger and hurt. The pain chest threatened to break his heart in two, yet he insisted on frightening the only person who seemed to actually care for him.

"Are you lonely, Granger?" Malfoy hissed, preparing to strike. "I bet Weasley has many opportunities now that he is famous. He only needed to defeat Dark Lord to be remotely attractive" He saw the hurt flash in her eyes, a shrug of shoulders that made her even smaller. "Is that why you are always in my room these days? Trying to make him jealous or something?" 

But Granger would always be a better person than him. Even now, after the initial shock, she straightened her spine and shoved at his shoulders, pushing him away instead of cowering. 

"You need your brain checked Malfoy!" she shoved him again, this time even harder. "And your character, while at it!" Shove again. "I came here to apologise!" Shove. "I came to explain why I entered your room without permission, cause Merlin knows you never invite anyone in." Shove.

He grabbed her wrists to stop her from pushing him even further. His calfs hit the bed, leaving him with no more space to move backwards. Instead of stopping her, the momentum resulted in a stumble over the bed's edge. Draco immediately manoeuvred their bodies so that Granger wouldn't end up on top of him. Instead, they fell sideways, his larger frame pushing her towards the wall. Both of them were breathing hard from the tumble, and one of Draco's hands still clasped around her wrist while the other held her waist.

Gradually coming back to normal, Draco lowered his gaze to Granger and found her eyes shut and tears running down her cheeks.

Panicking, Draco started to look for where he hurt her. "Granger, what's happening? Tell me? Did I hurt you somewhere?" Instead of an answer, she just squeezed her eyes further shut, and more tears rolled down. Her silent crying was worse than anything. He was sure she didn't hit herself anywhere as his body was the one to take the brunt of their fall. His insult. His body. His touch... A Death Eater. Draco suddenly realised it must have been his presence that scared her, maybe reminding her of... "Granger, I won't hurt you, please stop crying, I am going to move away, I didn't understand..." He tried to free his arm from underneath her, but she grabbed his shirt with her free hand and held tight. "I'll go and get Potter, just give me a second," Draco tried to pry himself off her grip, utterly confused by what was happening, his chest now on fire from the inside.

"Wait," Granger whispered. It was so low that if her breath hadn't tickled him, Draco would never know a word was uttered. She placed her hand on his chest and instantly, fire subdued to a low flame. "Give me a second, my magic is acting up, you ferret." 

It gave Draco a pause. If Granger's magic was acting up, and he was experiencing fantom chest pain... But it was not the first time he felt like this, and he remembered the previous ones too because they were all in Granger's presence. Was she...?

"What do you mean your magic is acting up," he decided to ignore the insult. It was deserved anyway, and ferrets were cute in his opinion. "Is it doing something right now? Is that why you are crying?"

Taking a deep breath from the crook of his neck, Granger opened her red eyes and pushed off him with both hands. She remained on the bed, sitting on her knees, silent tears drying as she spoke. One of her hands remained on Draco's chest, cooling his insides for which he was grateful. It must have been a weird situation for both of them, yet for Draco, it felt like the most natural thing in life to be lying in bed while Granger holds her hand over his heart.

"Ever since... the Manor, " she started. "I am afraid of storms, of the sounds and the lightning. I used to hide in a wardrobe and wait for it to pass. But last night, I felt a flutter of magic between the thunders. I don't remember waking up, but I do remember following that feeling. It led me to your room. I don't think I knew what was happening until you tried to wake me up. I cannot explain it, it was like sleepwalking, but instead of dreaming, it was my magic that guided me." Her voice lowered before she acknowledged, "I don't know why it happened, to be perfectly honest. My magic doesn't seem to be afraid of you, it has been like this ever since..." Her cheeks grew even redder before she shyly confessed "I remember. I can feel it seeking you out, even when I am afraid of how you might react to me."

"I don't want you to be afraid of me. Never again. I couldn't bear it."

"Really? Is that why you just bullied me? Insulted me..."

Suddenly, Draco realised when it started, this tingling sensation in his chest, growing warmer or colder depending on the proximity to its origin.

"Granger," he placed his palm over her hand. She startled, like she just realised that she has been touching him this entire time. "Hermione, you don't even realise how often I am scared. Or how much that time you slapped me shocked me to my core."

"To be honest, I believe I did." She answered with a glint in her eyes. "Which is why I hugged you now. It's called "shock therapy" in psychology."

"Is it another Muggle thing?"

"Yes."

"Let me try it, I never did anything Muggle before." 

Hermione smiled, visibly relaxing so that he could embrace her. But Draco doubted that a hug would be shocking anymore. So he went for what he wanted to do ever since the first time his magic understood that she was good for him. Draco Malfoy rose on his elbows and kissed Hermione Granger. 

She stilled immediately. Not moving, not breathing, both of them frozen in time. Even with eyes closed, Draco could feel hers burning into him. He expected a reaction, a fast shove or a slap, never to be allowed to kiss her. So he went all in. Pulling her closer to him, Draco placed one arm on the bed for support and used the other to gently cup Hermione's face. His lips nudged on hers, pleading for an answer. Finally, he felt her relax, first her shoulders, then the rest of her body and lastly her lips. They melted with his, moving gently, exploring as they went. When her tongue briefly touched his lower lip, Draco felt a dam bursting inside of his chest.

They both sighed, but instead of deepening the kiss, Granger hurriedly jumped up and over him.

"Malfoy, I have to leave."

And she left. But she came back the next morning, walking with Draco down to breakfast. And the evening after that, asking about a potion recipe she couldn't really get a grip on. Day after that, Hermione managed to make Draco stay with the group after lunch and play some cards. He lost, and yet on his way back to the room, he could feel a smile forming on his lips. A couple of days after that, another storm hit London. This time it only rained heavily, but around midnight Draco heard footsteps across his room. He turned to see Granger standing by his bed in her pyjamas, shivering from cold. He opened the cover, and she climbed over him to lie closer to the wall, like the first time he held her. He spooned her, and they fell asleep. In the morning, she wasn't there. He found her alone in the kitchen and went to give her a brief hug. He felt bold. She felt bolder and pecked his lips in return. They both ate breakfast in complete silence, red as lobsters. He kissed her back, in the frame of her bedroom door, wishing her goodnight. She pulled him inside.

* * *

They sat still on his bed, the most uncomfortable one he ever slept in, dressed in Hogwarts uniforms. In a few minutes, they were to return and resume their last year of studies. Draco was allowed back under the strict eye of his professors and the new Headmaster. His wand still confiscated, he was allowed to use it only in classes. 

Yet, it was not Hogwarts he was scared of.

"What happens now?" He still didn't like to sound insecure in front of her. The last couple of weeks, every passing thought was shared between them, and he couldn't imagine not asking her. 

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully, "But I am sure we'll figure it out. Together." 

**Author's Note:**

> I can't see anymore how tired I am. Never did I think I'll do a teen story, but here we are. Just something I woke up with around Xmas, but it took me ages to sit down and write it.
> 
> Did you find a nod to one of my favourite fanfics ever? Hint, it is written in italics.
> 
> Good night,  
> Sarah


End file.
